Penn College TV Series Receives Top ‘Communicator” Award

An episode of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s “degrees that work.” career-awareness television series, a co-production with WVIA-TV, has received the highest honor in the 2009 Communicator Awards, which honors the best creative work in the communications fields.

The episode, which profiled careers in welding, won the Award of Excellence, also known as the Gold Communicator Award, in the documentary category. The recognition is given to those “entries whose ability to communicate puts them among the best in the field.”

The welding episode features artistic welder Mike Patterson, an alumnus of Williamsport Area Community College (a Penn College forerunner), adjunct faculty member and entrepreneur; and Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz, a 2005 Penn College alumna and manufacturing specialist for Toyota. Welding basics are demonstrated by David R. Cotner, instructor of welding, and Martin D. Denault, a welding and fabrication engineering technology student who graduated in May 2008. Also featured are interviews with industry representatives attending the Fabtech International and American Welding Society Welding Show in Chicago.

The college production crew for the episode was Christopher J. Leigh, video production coordinator, who served as producer/director/editor/camera, and Thomas F. Speicher, video production developer, who served as producer/writer/editor/camera/narrator. Kevin Jones of WVIA provided graphics support.

Tom CurrÃ¿a1, WVIA-TV senior vice president, and Elaine J. Lambert, director of college information and community relations at Penn College, serve as executive producers for the series. Lambert developed the series concept with Jennifer A. McLean, director of counseling, career and disability services.

The Communicator Awards honor the best in such fields as advertising, corporate communications, public relations, and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

The awards are overseen and sanctioned by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. The 2009 Communicator Awards received more than 7,000 entries.

The welding episode also received the highest honor bestowed in the annual Telly Awards.

To learn more about the “degrees that work.” TV series, visit online . For more about Penn College, visit on the Web , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

Pennsylvania College of TechnologyOne College AvenueWilliamsport, PA 17701